Seiunji Temple


Seiunji is a temple in Yamato-cho, Kisai, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. It is a Kenchoji sect temple of the Rinzai school, with the mountain name of Tenmokuzan and the Honzon of Shakyamuni Buddha. At the time of its founding, the temple was called Gokoku Zenji.
WWW tenmokusan.or.jpYT tenmokusanseiunji8280

Overview

Seiunji Temple is located on the left bank of the upper reaches of the Nichikawa valley at an elevation of about 1,050 meters in the Tenmokuzan mountains. In Tano, another 4.6 km downstream of the Nichigawa valley, there is a Soto Zen temple, Tenmokuzan Keitokuin.
In 1348, the founder Gokkai Honjo visited this mountain, which was called Mount Tokusayama In the second year of Bunpo, Narihumi and five of his companions traveled to The Yuan Dynasty, where they received teachings and the Inka from the Buddhist master Zhongfeng Mingben at Tianmu Mountain. He returned to Japan in 1326. After that, he traveled around the country for more than 20 years in search of a suitable place to practice the teachings of his master.
Gokkai strongly criticized the Muso Soseki sect, which was predominant at the time. He left behind a legend that he enshrined a statue of Pu'o Kokushi in a rock cave, sat in meditation under a tree, rarely interacted with the local people. After his death four years later, Mokuzai-san prospered under the patronage of the Takeda clan, the protector of Kai, and Mokuzai-san came to be known as "Tenmoku-san," and together with Zuiganzan Kogenji Temple in Tanba City, Hyogo Prefecture, it was also called "Higashi Tenmoku" and "Nishi Tenmoku.
In Onei 23, Takeda Nobumitsu, the protector of Kai, who was defeated by the Muromachi Shogunate for his complicity in the Uesugi Zenshu Rebellion, committed suicide in this mountain. The remains of Nobumitsu are said to have been brought to this temple for burial, and the Hokyointo of Nobumitsu and the Gorintō of his vassals who committed suicide together exist in Seiunji Temple. It is said that Takeda Shingen also dedicated a military flag, a Gunbai, and a mirror to the temple.
At the end of the Warring States Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who destroyed the Takeda clan, also issued a guarantee of about three kanbun of temple territory and three articles of prohibition to the temple, 1583 June 20. In addition, in 1643, the temple received a Shuin-jō from Ieyasu's grandson, the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu of the Edo shogunate, for the relief of the temple territory. In 1716, the Shuin-jō land according to the surveybook is said to have been about 20 koku.
According to the writings of Zen master Nariumi Honjo, there was a lake in the upper part of Mount Mokuzai, which overflowed during rainfall and flowed down the slope, and the present garden may have been created as a result of this. Takeda Nobumitsu was said to have been very ill and committed suicide because he was involved in the Uesugi Zen sect's rebellion.

History

The temple complex

Cultural Properties

Important Cultural Property (National Designation)

  • Wooden Seated Statue of Pu'o Guo Shi - Designated on June 22, 1971

Tangible Cultural Property designated by the prefecture

  • Wooden Seated Statue of Gyohai Honjo - Designated on November 7, 1960
  • Wooden Seated Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha - Designated on April 8, 1971, The wooden Seated Shakyamuni Buddha Statue is a seated statue of a crowned Shakyamuni. The statue of Shakyamuni Buddha wearing a crown and chest ornaments looks like a Bodhisattva. Since the Middle Ages, the crowned Buddha has been enshrined in Zen temples as the principal image. The figure is made of marquetry of Japanese cypress, with colored eyes, and stands 62.0 cm tall.Manichaean Painting of the Buddha Jesus - Designated on July 11, 2013. Colored on silk. The dimensions are 153.3 cm and 58.7 cm, and it was made during the Yuan dynasty in China. Deposited in the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum by the Deposit. It depicts a statue of a single deity pierced by a gorgeous hexagonal multiple lotus seat and equipped with head and body lights. The statue is topped by a canopy. He wears a white outer robe trimmed in gold and red over a light purple inner robe, with several strands of hair hanging down over his left and right shoulders. On the sides of the outer robe and at the knees are four square inscriptions, and within the square frame is the head of a person wearing a crown. Both hands are placed in front of the chest, with the right hand held in the shape of a fear of death and the left hand holding a cross. The painting has the characteristics of Chinese Yuan dynasty Buddhist paintings, such as the careful depiction of the flesh and body, the folds and undulations of the clothing, the use of gold and mud, and the structure of the painted silk. The box inscription on this painting says that it is a statue of Emptiness, so it has long been considered to be a statue of Emptiness. In 2013, it was published in Yamanashi under the name of "Mani holding a cross" in accordance with the new theory mentioned below. In 2013, it was designated as a cultural property of Yamanashi Prefecture under the name of "Mani statue dedicated to the cross" based on the new theory mentioned below. In 2013, the statue was designated as a cultural property of Yamanashi Prefecture under the name of "Mani statue dedicated to the cross", in accordance with a new theory mentioned below. There are two theories about its origin: one is that it was brought to the temple by Gyohai Honjo, the founder of Seiunji Temple, and the other is that it belonged to Arima Harunobu, a Christian feudal lord who died in the temple. The latter theory is more plausible, as there is little necessity for Nariumi Honjo to have brought in the main image with the cross.
  • Hokyoin-to - designated June 19, 1958. The body of the pagoda is plain, not wrapped around the outline as in the Kanto style, and has the inscription "Fudoto" on the front and "Bunwa Kii Mikitoshi Jiko Arbitrary Date Erected" on the back. The age of the pagoda is the second year of Bunwa. The stone is quartz diorite, and the total height is 1.84 meters. It is a rare Kansai-style Hokyoin-to in Kai, and it is a valuable relic showing the characteristics of the late Kamakura period. In addition, "Fudoto" is also called "Kaikai-to", which is a toba built in Zen Buddhism temples to bury the remains of sentient monks.
  • Hokyointo (Pagoda of the Founder of Seiunji Temple) - Designated on January 27, 1972. This "Founder's Pagoda," inscribed in July 1352, is presumed to have been built by the temple's second chief priest, Muuninogen, who was Gyohae's legal heir. The stone is made of quartz andesite, and the present height is 1.45m. This pagoda is a variant of Kanto style Hokyoin-tou. The juxtaposition of these two remains, which are the oldest in the prefecture with different styles from Kansai and Kanto, is very valuable.
  • Copper Bell - Designated on February 9, 1959, This bell is one of the "Five Bells of Kai", together with the Kuonji bell, the Ichinomiya-cho bell, the Houkouji bell, and the Eishouin bell. It is one of the Five Bells of Kai. "According to the inscription on the Pond Room, it was built in Enbun 4, only 11 years after Teiwa 4, when Seiunji Temple was opened, by the carpenter Shami Michikin. The inscription reads, "Danna Shami Michirin Mikien Higa no Gen," which is thought to be the Buddhist name of Izu no Mamoru Nobutake, who is said to be the founder of the Takeda family, and was built by the second abbot of Seiunji Temple, Muji no Gen. There is a tradition that this bell was used as a battle bell.
  • Seiunji Garden - designated on March 31, 1979
Koji Ohara "Restoration of Seiunji Temple in Tenmeyama"
  • Jizo Bodhisattva - Designated December 12, 1968, some are carved in the flesh, while others are carved in lines. In Japan, the Usuki, Oya, and the Shimoyamaka in Nara Prefecture are prominent, but the number of Magaibutsu is smaller than other single stone Buddhas. To the east of the storehouse, two cliff Buddhas can be seen, and this Jizo Bosatsu cliff Buddha is one of them. This Jizo Bosatsu Buddha is one of them. It is a 70 cm high statue carved on a huge rock. The statue was carved on the shore of a hard granodiorite rock, which is easily weathered, and was able to withstand 600 years of weathering. The statue of Jizo Bosatsu, carved at this time, has a pioneering significance for the Jizo faith in Japan and is rare in the prefecture.
  • Manjushri Boddhisattva Mogae Buddha - Designated on March 31, 1977
  • Koryu of Seiunji Temple - Designated on June 22, 1995, According to the "Reconstruction of the Hall", the temple was rebuilt in the first year of Bunroku. The treasury was dismantled and reconstructed between 1996 and 2001, restoring it to its former glory. Facing the south on the east side of the main hall, it is a single-story gabled roof with a copper plate roof. The construction of the kōri is dated to the first year of the Bunroku era, according to the "reconstruction schedule". It is valuable as the origin of the Koshu Minka.
  • Kujyo Kesa - Designated on September 6, 1993. This is a nine-jointed kesa, which is said to be a traditional Buddhist robe given to Narihito by his master, Nakamimoto. The kesa is narrow in the center and wider on both sides, a shape unique to Zen Buddhism, with the left end measuring 130.0 cm, the center 92.0 cm, and the right end 108.0 cm. Judging from the expression of the gold maki-e arabesque patterns on the links attached to the kesa, it is thought that the kesa was sewn at the same time as the links during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, or that it was sewn in China and only the links were attached in Japan. It is a miracle that this kujō kesa, which dates back to the Nanbokucho period, has been preserved to the present day, hundreds of years after its creation.
  • Tokoname jar excavated from Kaizan tomb - Designated on April 26, 2007. This jar was found as a fragment from underneath Hokyointo. It is a Tokonameyaki jar with dimensions of 68.3 cm in height, 19.0 cm in base diameter, 42.3 cm in diameter, and 66.2 cm in maximum shoulder diameter. There are four stamps of "Ten" on its shoulders. The name "Kan'o Jinjin" in the inscription of the Hokyoin-tou .

Tangible cultural property designated by the city

  • Takeda Nobumitsu's tomb - designated on October 2, 1973.
  • Main hall of Seiunji Temple - designated on December 25, 1997
  • Main Hall of Sanno Shrine - designated on July 14, 1993
  • Image of Vajrasattva - designated on October 5, 1982
  • Lord Shingen Gunbai - designated on October 5, 1982
  • Takeda Military Banner - Designated on October 5, 1982.
  • Shingen Koujin Kagami - Designated on December 10, 1982.
  • Myochi mirror - designated on February 14, 1983.
  • Rabbit Paperweight - Designated on December 10, 1982.
  • Image of Takeda 24 Generals - Designated on December 10, 1982
  • Jug - designated on February 14, 1983
  • Large Crystal Bead - Designated on December 10, 1982
  • Dragon Beard Brush - Designated on February 14, 1983.
  • Tenmoku Tea Bowl - designated on March 14, 1983.
  • Cloisonne Incense Burner - Designated on July 14, 1993.
  • Engraving by Nariumi - Designated on July 14, 1993
  • Morality Verses of Ngariumi - Designated on July 14, 1993
  • Image of Marishiten - Designated on July 14, 1993
  • Gofuda woodblock from the Tempou era - Designated on July 14, 1993
  • Nirvana of Buddha - Designated on July 14, 1993.

Holding of the exhibition of wind vases for treasures of Seiunji Temple

  • Organized by - Tenmoku-zan Seiunji Temple
  • Supported by - Cultural Properties Division, Koshu City Board of Education
  • Venue - Seiunji Main Hall, Dentoan and Assembly Hall
  • Hours - 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  • Admission - Adults 500 yen, Students 300 yen

Transportation

  • Train - JRChuo Line - get off at Kai-Yamato Station and take a local bus.
  • Bus - Koshu City Citizen Bus bound for Amame on the Koshu City Longitudinal Line - Get off at the Amame stop and walk 3 minutes.

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